Concept explainers
TCE Uptake by Transgenic Plants Plants used for phytoremediation take up organic pollutants, then transport the chemicals to plant tissues, where they are stored or broken down. Researchers are now designing transgenic plants with enhanced ability to take up or break down toxins. In 2007, Sharon Doty and her colleagues published the results of their efforts to design plants for phytoremediation of soil and air containing organic solvents. The researchers used Agrobacterium tumefaciens (Section 15.7) to deliver a mammalian gene into poplar plants. The gene encodes cytochrome P450, an enzyme involved in the breakdown of a range of organic molecules, including solvents such as TCE. FIGURE 28.16 shows data from one test on the resulting transgenic plants.
FIGURE 28.16 TCE uptake from air by transgenic poplar plants. Indvioual potted plants were kept in separate seated containers with an initial level of TCE (trichloroethytene) around 15.0C0 micrograms per cubic meter of air. Samples of the air m the containers were taken daily and measured for TCE content. Controls included a tree transgenic for a Ti plasmid with no cytochrome P450 in it (vector control), and a bare-root transgenic tree (one that was not planted in soil.
2. In which group did the researchers see the slowest rate of TCE uptake? The fastest?
Want to see the full answer?
Check out a sample textbook solutionChapter 28 Solutions
Biology: The Unity and Diversity of Life (MindTap Course List)
- A crude extract sample was obtained from a plant and was found effective as an anti-diabetic agent in-vitro. The researcher wants to determine the appropriate lethal dose of the sample because it was intended to be administered orally. Literature studies show that plants under the same genus with the source of the crude extract has a lethal dose of 300 mg/Kg BW. Your group performed the test following the OECD Guideline 423 and used the recommended starting dose. The derived approximate LD50 was 25 mg/Kg BW. Why would a drug with a TI of less than 1 be considered as the primary treatment of a certain disease?arrow_forwardA crude extract sample was obtained from a plant and was found effective as an anti-diabetic agent in-vitro. The researcher wants to determine the appropriate lethal dose of the sample because it was intended to be administered orally. Literature studies show that plants under the same genus with the source of the crude extract has a lethal dose of 300 mg/Kg BW. Your group performed the test following the OECD Guideline 423 and used the recommended starting dose. The derived approximate LD50 was 25 mg/Kg BW. 1.With the approximate LD50 of the plant sample tested in the case, determine and interpret the TI of the sample if the ED50 is: A. 40 mg/Kg BW B. 18 mg/Kg BW C. 3 mg/Kg Bwarrow_forwardDescribe the use of Plant Growth regulators in Agriculture give at least 4 examplesarrow_forward
- Elaborate the advantage and disadvantages of Nano-Plant Growth Regulatorarrow_forwardAcclimatization has been one of the major obstacles to the use of tissue culture in crop improvement. Explain why this process is necessary for the ex vivo survival of tissue culture derived plants.arrow_forwardIn what ways does plant tissue culture help in the development of GM crops?arrow_forward
- Climate monitoring demonstrates a continued increase in carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere. Most scientists agree that this increased carbon dioxide will also lead to higher temperatures. a) How might future climate change affect metabolic pathways in plant populations? Explain. b) Biotechnologists are currently looking for ways to maintain food sources in climbing heat and carbon dioxide levels, particularly in developing countries. One such endeavor is to convert rice from a C3 to a C4 pathway to increase its photosynthetic efficiency. Will this actually increase its efficiency? Explain.arrow_forwardWhat are ‘Bt crops’? What potential risks are associated with this technology?arrow_forwardAn important goal of molecular botanists is to insert the genes for nitrogen fixation into crop plants such as corn or wheat. Why would the insertion of such genes be useful? What changes in farming practices would this technique allow?arrow_forward
- What is the role of Agrobacterium tumefaciens in plant transformation?arrow_forwardWhich of the following explains why pea plants in high soil nitrogen conditions have so few rhizobial nodules on their roots? When there is already high soil nitrogen there is a very large cost to having rhizobial nodules. The rhizobia bacteria in the nodules fix nitrogen when there isn't enough in the soil, so when there is already high soil nitrogen there is no advantage for the pea plant to expend the extra energy housing the rhizobia. The rhizobia bacteria in the nodules use nitrogen when there isn't enough in the soil, so in conditions of high soil nitrogen the plant tries to exclude the rhizobia to keep the nitrogen for itself. When there is already high soil nitrogen there is no benefit to the plant to having rhizobial nodules, which can rob the plant of the high nitrogen supplies so that the rhizobia bacteria do not have to fix the nitrogen themselves.arrow_forwardYou have been chosen as the lead student gardener for the CSUMB Future Farmers of America Club (FFAC). Your club is looking to you and your Bio211 plant experience to guide them. You arrive at the new FFAC garden plots where your club mates show you their cherry tree that they've been having trouble with. Originally, its leave would change color and fall off the tree, as expected, in the autumn. However, more recently the leaves started changing color and falling off in the spring time. Which hormone does the tree likely have in excess and why?arrow_forward
- Biology: The Dynamic Science (MindTap Course List)BiologyISBN:9781305389892Author:Peter J. Russell, Paul E. Hertz, Beverly McMillanPublisher:Cengage LearningConcepts of BiologyBiologyISBN:9781938168116Author:Samantha Fowler, Rebecca Roush, James WisePublisher:OpenStax CollegeBiology (MindTap Course List)BiologyISBN:9781337392938Author:Eldra Solomon, Charles Martin, Diana W. Martin, Linda R. BergPublisher:Cengage Learning